Sainz: "We Did Everything Perfectly"

Carlos Sainz left Losail with an unmistakable smile. The Spaniard achieved one of the most impressive podiums of his career in Qatar, finishing third with a Williams that barely made it to the finish line. "I am very happy and proud of the whole team for what we have done today," he celebrated. "I thought it was going to be the most challenging weekend of the season, and we came away with a podium. We nailed the start, the pit stop... I couldn't be prouder."

Starting from seventh, Sainz capitalised on McLaren's strategic chaos and an unexpectedly strong pace from the Williams. He acknowledged it as soon as he got out of the car: "We did everything perfectly today. In the first half of the season, we didn't, and we have developed in so many areas that have presented so many opportunities that we have seized them all." His satisfaction was evident: "It has been one of my best races, also one of the most unexpected. We didn't expect it at all."

Sainz explained that he began to believe in the podium very early. "I realised in the second stint when I saw that neither Oscar Piastri nor Lando Norris could overtake us. I thought it was a fourth place, and then, when I started to go very fast on the hard tyre, I said: 'This is under control'." The key, according to him, was keeping Antonelli at bay long enough and a race pace "much better than expected."

The final stretch was an exercise in survival. "In the last four laps, something broke at the front. Losing a second per lap meant Lando finished very close at the end. If it had lasted one more lap, he would have passed me," he admitted. But he held on. And with this second podium of the year, Sainz reaffirms himself: "Lately, when the opportunity for a podium arises, we achieve it."

The Asturian had a great weekend, completed with a seventh place that feels like gold. Fernando Alonso squeezed every last drop of performance from an Aston Martin that, according to him, is "completely undrivable." Fernando Alonso achieved a miraculous seventh place in Qatar, a result he celebrated as a small triumph in a very tough year. "Gosh, imagine. I've scored 30 points all year and eight here... During the race, I didn't think I would finish seventh. We embrace this result with open arms," he assured.

The race was not easy for anyone, but even less so for Alonso, who survived by relying on his pace reading and superb tyre management. "The safety car changed the strategies a bit. It was different from what we expected. As for us, we have no pace; fortunately, Qatar is the second hardest circuit to overtake after Monaco," he explained. That context, combined with the strategic chaos of other teams, allowed him to stay in the points zone for much of the race.

The most delicate moment came in the middle of the race when a spin caused by the absolute limit put him on the ropes. "We did a 360º, the car is completely undrivable. I lost the car unfortunately and was lucky to continue on a circuit like Qatar," he recounted. Even so, he managed to maintain enough pace to prevent clearly faster cars from passing him. "We can't push; we end up with the front tyre. We go at 50% and still end up without a tyre," he described.

Alonso took the opportunity to send a direct message: driving the Aston Martin is an exercise in survival. "This car is much harder to drive than it looks on TV," he stated. And yet, the Spaniard once again turned a day destined for suffering into a seventh place that feels like much more.